Hope Emerges as Ravaged Palisades Mobile Home Park Qualifies for Federal Debris Removal

The residents of the Tahitian Terrace mobile home park in Pacific Palisades, who have been grappling with significant doubt over whether their community will be reconstructed—a choice beyond their control—are now “closer to coming back,” according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath on Tuesday.

The mobile home park will be included in the federally funded debris removal program after initially being left out, Horvath said in a statement. Residents "now have certainty that the government will clear their properties."

The announcement follows weeks of limbo for the owners of the mobile home park and residents of its 158 homes, all but one of which were destroyed in the Jan. 7 Palisades fire.

Tahitian Terrace was home to an eclectic mix. There were wealthy residents, including “Shark Tank” star and investor Barbara Corcoran . But there also were many seniors on fixed incomes who had paid off their homes decades ago, as well as a smattering of young, middle-income families.

In the hillside park just across from Will Rogers State Beach, residents own their homes but lease their plots of land, which are rent-controlled. The park has long been owned by a small, family-run company that makes little profit off the property.

The determination of who would pay for the debris removal has been a major factor in deciding whether to rebuild Tahitian Terrace, the park owners said in a March 21 letter to residents.

Ruthi Muñoz, a manager of the mobile home park who was reached by The Times on Tuesday, did not comment on the announcement, saying she was still learning the details.

The federal private-property debris removal, Phase 2 of the cleanup, is conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and offered free of charge to eligible homeowners who opt in. It follows the first phase, in which contractors from the U.S. Environmental Agency have removed potentially hazardous household items — such as pesticides, paint and lithium-ion batteries — that cannot be trucked to normal landfills.

Some types of multifamily housing that have at least one owner-occupied unit — such as a duplex or condominium — are eligible for the Army Corps' Phase 2 cleanup.

But multifamily rental properties that are owned by for-profit entities and do not include a single owner-occupied unit, such as apartment complexes and mobile home parks, generally are not eligible.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for allocating funding and outlining cleanup procedures, has said the owners of those commercial properties are expected to use their insurance and hire licensed contractors to conduct debris removal.

But those property owners have been allowed to apply for the Army Corps debris removal, with their eligibility being considered on a case-by-case basis.

Robert Fenton, FEMA's Region 9 administrator, has said those property owners must provide justification for the use of federal funds on their cleanups, including that debris on the property poses a public health risk and that the commercial owner might not be able to complete the debris removal independently.

On Monday, in a letter addressed to Nancy Ward, who leads the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Fenton stated: “Following thorough deliberation, I concur with your evaluation that Tahitian Terrace qualifies as an extraordinary and uncommon instance meriting acceptance into the PPDR program.”

On April 2, officials from Los Angeles County asked for the inclusion of the mobile home park, as stated in Fenton's letter.

Although the EPA has removed potentially hazardous materials, "due to the unique characteristics of the property, immediate threats to public health and safety remain," Fenton wrote.

He stated that according to the Army Corps, "approximately half of the locations on the site have friable asbestos present."

The plots for the mobile homes sit on a precipitous slope that has been charred by wildfire and offers views over the Pacific Coast Highway. Prior to the blaze, this highway saw roughly 48,000 cars daily, as mentioned in his account. He also noted that thorough cleanup at Tahitian Terrace must be carried out to remove the imminent danger posed to the well-being of these drivers.

Fenton also laid out why the park's owners, Azul Pacifico Inc. — a family-run business that has owned and operated Tahitian Terrace, its principal asset, since 1960 — could struggle to complete the debris removal independently.

He cited their monthly income as an obstacle. The business' average pre-fire total rental income was about $240,000 per month, excluding utilities and operating expenses, he wrote, adding that "the terms of their lease agreement allow residents to withdraw from their leases under current conditions, which will limit their income."

In addition, Fenton noted, the owner's insurance pays $1,000 per plot for catastrophic debris removal with a limit of $50,000.

Fenton wrote that Los Angeles city officials, who have supported the county's request, have deemed Tahitian Terrace, with its rent-controlled plots, to be "an important source of affordable housing in Pacific Palisades."

"Based on the City's assurances, I am confident that including Tahitian Terrace in the PPDR program will accelerate the reopening of the park for its displaced tenants and ensure the community retains this affordable residential enclave in an otherwise affluent area."

In their March letter to residents, the park's owners wrote that "no decision about rebuilding can possibly be made until after the debris removal process has been concluded and our full analysis of all the variables is completed."

If Tahitian Terrace were to be reconstructed, they mentioned, the procedure "might span several years."

Chris Russo, who finalized her purchase of a home at Tahitian Terrace just a day ahead of the Palisades fire destroying it, mentioned that both she and fellow residents were perplexed by the park’s omission from the federal cleanup efforts. They dedicated numerous hours contacting and corresponding with various governmental bodies, desperately requesting assistance to have their properties cleaned up.

"Without FEMA’s assistance, the fate of our ability to return home hinges on the underinsured landowners who are likely financially incapable of taking on the full burden of cleanup," she wrote to FEMA last month. "The situation is dire, and your decision will determine whether our community can rebuild or be permanently erased from the landscape of Los Angeles."

On Tuesday, Russo told The Times she was elated by the news, describing herself as "a squeaky wheel" who wouldn't let the issue be forgotten.

"We're very organized as a community because we all want to go back," Russo said.

"We've been fighting so much. It's exhausting. To get that little bit of a win — it's big news. ... It feels hopeful because we have been in limbo, not knowing what the future is."

Horvath, whose Westside district includes Malibu and the Palisades, has advocated for the inclusion of nonprofits, churches, mobile home parks and commercial properties in the federal debris clearance program.

In her statement Tuesday, she said that, in addition to Tahitian Terrace, the county has requested that Palisades Bowl — an adjacent mobile home park with roughly 170 homes — also be included.

As of Tuesday, a spokeswoman for her office said, the county's request had not been answered.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .